A Caring Soul
by SSBFreak
Summary: After Knuckles turns her down, Rouge thinks no one cares. She soon finds that she's wrong.


Rain poured down on Station Square on a cloudy night. So much rain was coming down that the weathermen were saying that it was the biggest rain the city had in years. Because of this, no one was outside, except for the occasional vehicle.

However, there was in fact one person outside, but it was if she didn't notice all of the rain slamming into her face. Actually, she wasn't even a person. Instead, she was a white bat, standing no more than four feet tall.

Rouge didn't notice the rain coming because her mind was instead focused on something else: Something that had happened only hours ago on Angel Island.

(FLASHBACK)

"_Rouge? What're you doing here?" Knuckles asked as he stood up from the steps leading to the Master Emerald. "You'd better not be thinking about stealing the Master Emerald. Because if you are, I'm not giving it up without a fight."_

"_Relax, knucklehead." Rouge chuckled. "I wouldn't DREAM about doing something like that."_

"_Somehow, I doubt that." Knuckles folded his arms._

"_Okay. Okay. I'll talk." Rouge said. "Look, what I'm about to say is extremely personal, so do you think you could please put the anger aside for a second?"_

_Knuckles sighed. "Okay, Rouge. So what is it you wanted to tell me?"_

"_Well, this is sorta difficult to say." Rouge rubbed the back of her head. "Look, I know we haven't exactly got along, but ever since you saved me from falling to my death years ago when we first met, I've been getting these strange emotions concerning you."_

_The red echidna didn't reply, but his gaze softened as he listened to Rouge._

"_As the years went on, I tried figuring out what these feelings were. I spent so long trying to find the answer, but the feelings got stronger and stronger as time passed. Now, I've finally found out what these feelings are."_

_Knuckles swallowed. He had a feeling what Rouge was going to say, but still remained silent._

"_I never thought I'd say this, but I think I've fallen for you, Knuckles." Rouge said quietly._

_Knuckles' eyes went wide. "Y-You can't be serious. You mean that YOU are falling in love with me?"_

_Rouge looked at the ground, but nodded._

_The guardian sighed. "I don't know how to put this Rouge, but I'm afraid I can't feel the same way."_

_Rouge snapped her head up. "W-What? What do you mean?"_

"_Rouge, I'm the guardian of the Master Emerald." Knuckles replied. "This is my full-time job, and the Master Emerald has been a target for worse people than Eggman."_

_The white bat suddenly started feeling tears coming to her face, but did her best to hold them in._

"_I can't fall in love because these people would target my lover if I did. As much as I would love to start a relationship, the risks are just far too high for me to do so." Knuckles continued. "I hope you understand, Rouge."_

_Rouge slowly turned away from Knuckles and approached the edge of Angel Island. "Yes, I understand." She said softly. "Goodbye, Knuckles…For good."_

_With that, the white bat spread her wings and flew off the island, leaving a guilt-struck Knuckles to sit back on the steps of the emerald pedestal._

(END FLASHBACK)

"That KNUCKLEHEAD!" Rouge cried, tears now flowing freely down her face. "I open my heart to him and he freaking rejects me! How could that idiot think I'm less-important than that stupid job of his!"

Rouge sat down on the sidewalk, ignoring how wet she was. "Well, maybe that big rock has a more-important purpose than I thought." She mused. "Maybe the world will end if it falls into the wrong hands or something." She then slammed her fist into a puddle on the sidewalk beside her, creating a small splash. "But that STILL doesn't give him the right to do that to me!"

The white bat suddenly remembered what Knuckles had told her. He had said that if he fell in love, people could use his lover as some sort of bargaining chip. She realized that Knuckles had actually rejected her because he CARED.

The depressed bat curled into a ball. "Well," She sniffed. "Maybe it just wasn't meant to be. Maybe I'm to fall for someone other that knucklehead."

Rouge suddenly became aware of all the rain coming down around her, and how stupid she felt that she didn't have a coat with her. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered, wiping her tears away. "It's so c-cold out. I should get back home."

Unfortunately, Rouge just couldn't find the will to stand. Her heart had been broken seemingly beyond repair, and she was contemplating just sitting there, catching phenomena and dying.

'_Maybe that's what I should do.' _Rouge thought. _'It's not as if anyone will miss me.'_

Rouge was once again reduced to tears. She sat on the sidewalk, curled into a ball, crying into her arms, letting the cold rain pelt her from above.

Suddenly, Rouge didn't feel any rain hitting her anymore, and yet she still heard it hitting the ground. Daring to look up, Rouge found herself staring into the round, yellow, worried eyes of a giant purple cat. He was shielding her from the rain using his umbrella, allowing the rain to strike him instead.

"Big?" Rouge asked.

The large cat simply held out his free hand. "What're you doing out in the rain, Ms. Rouge?" Big asked. "You could catch a cold, you know."

Rouge looked away. "Just leave me alone, Big." She said.

Big shook his head. "If I do, you could die. No one wants that."

"Oh, really?" Rouge asked, not bothering to look at Big. "Well, if that's true, then why did knucklehead reject me?"

"But that shouldn't be a reason to stay in the rain." Big replied simply. "That's just silly." He said the last part with a light chuckle.

Rouge sighed. She knew Big had her there. _'Why is it that the slower ones always have the best answers? He's right. I can't stay out here. I should probably get home.'_ She thought. Rouge looked at Big again and saw that he was still holding out his free hand. The white bat finally clasped it and allowed the giant feline to help her to her feet again.

"I can walk you home if you want, Ms. Rouge." Big offered.

"I appreciate it Big, but the last train of the night heading for the Mystic Ruins leaves in fifteen minutes." Rouge replied, wiping her eyes. "You'll never make it."

Big gave one of the kind smiles that all of his friends knew him for. "That's okay, Ms. Rouge. If that means that I can get you home safely, I'll gladly do it."

Rouge's eyes widened in surprise. "Well…Okay, if you want."

Big nodded as he and Rouge started walking along the sidewalk together, towards the building Rouge called home, which was a good ten-minute walk through Station Square.

During the walk, Rouge noticed that Big was holding the umbrella just above her head, leaving him exposed to the downpour of rain. "Big, aren't you going to shield yourself as well?"

Big shook his head. "If I did, then the umbrella would be too high to protect you from the rain, Ms. Rouge." He replied. "You need shelter more than I need it."

Rouge sighed. _'He's such a gentleman.' _She thought. _'He leaves himself unprotected in the rain and runs the risk of missing his train just to see that I get home okay. He's so kindhearted that I can't believe he doesn't have a girlfriend.'_

"So…Uh…Where's Froggy?" Rouge asked, hoping to strike a conversation. She figured she owed him that much.

"He's back home." Big replied. "I was here to do some things and told him I'd be back before long. He usually doesn't mind if I miss the train and have to wait until morning, though."

The two continued through the rain, talking. Sure, Big wasn't using any big words and was talking in his usual slow manner, but Rouge didn't mind. As the walk went on, she found that she actually enjoyed his company. After Knuckles rejected her, Rouge was finally feeling a little better because of the time spent with Big. As the walk went on, Rouge realized that she was shedding less and less tears until finally they had stopped altogether.

Eventually, the two arrived at Rouge's house. They walked up to the door as Rouge reached into her pocket and pulled out a set of keys.

"Thanks you so much for walking me home, Big." Rouge said, surprised at exactly how much thankfulness was coming from her mouth.

Big, seeing the Rouge was under the awning of the house and wouldn't get wet, pulled the umbrella back above his head. "You're welcome, Ms. Rouge." He said with a smile.

Rouge suddenly remembered that Big's train to the Mystic Ruins was long gone by now, and wouldn't be running until the following morning. "So what're you going to do now?"

Big gave a carefree shrug. "I might just sleep in the train station." He replied. "That way I'll be ready to go in the morning."

"Big, I can't let you do that." Rouge shook her head. "Not after everything you've done for me tonight. Why don't you come inside? I've got a guest room."

The large cat looked over his immensely soaked body. "But I'm real wet. I don't want to make your house a mess, Ms. Rouge." He said.

"Big, I insist." Rouge said, unlocking the front door. "Come on in."

Big stood in silence before shrugging and closing his umbrella. "Okay, but only if it's truly okay with you."

"It is. This is the absolute least I could do to repay you for the kindness you've shown me."

Big gave a gentle smile as he walked past Rouge and into the house. "I don't know why people say you're a thief, Ms. Rouge. You're really nice."

"Not as nice as you, Big." Rouge whispered quiet enough so that the cat wouldn't hear her. She followed Big into the house.

And for the first time since Knuckles turned her down, Rouge smiled.

END

Author's note: I honestly don't get what people have against Big. I mean, he's got to be the most selfless person in the Sonic franchise. Sure, he's slow, but you have to remember that he grew up on his own and in the middle of nowhere. Of COURSE he'd be slow!

Big's my favourite character, and I see that there's just not enough fics about him around.


End file.
